


Last Leg

by insominia



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-31
Updated: 2015-08-31
Packaged: 2018-04-18 07:31:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4697546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insominia/pseuds/insominia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boone and the courier go on a final journey to Zion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last Leg

The cigarette burned down to its filter, its smoldering butt the only indication to the night that Boone was there at all. He stared up at the Lucky 38, visible from almost every part of the desert, looking over to the bright lights of his home. It was the only hesitation he had shown since they'd left.

Courier was beside him, just out of sight, "they're going to be angry, you know?"

Boone sighed, his eyes still on the '38, where their companions...friends, _hell_ , their family were sleeping. He could imagine their reactions when they woke and found them gone. Arcade and Cass would be furious, Raul would sigh, Veronica would cry. She was crying a lot recently. "I said you could bring them. They would have come. Doesn't have to be just you,” Courier persisted.

"I know." Boone's hand traveled to his breast pocket, felt the paper within and, reassured it was still there, dropped the remains of his cigarette, crushing it below his boot, "but I wanna do this on m'own," he said, turning his back on the Mojave and heading up the Northern Passage. Courier followed.

\---

 

Boone could remember Courier arguing with the caravan master about the pack limit, more annoyed that it required them to sort through the haphazard pack they carried absolutely everything in, rather than having to lose anything. For Boone, who brought nothing but his rifle, the armor he wore, and the bare minimum of medical supplies and food, the journey was an easy one, if not long. Courier had returned from Zion with tales of food growing on the road side in abundance, " _and the water guys! You've never seen so much water! And so clean_!" The tales still rang true. The few cans of pork n' beans Boone had brought for their journey, lay forgotten beside the box of instamash they couldn't eat, as it became clear that up North, food remained plentiful.

Biting into a perfectly ripe prickly pear, Boone almost sighed, the juice smearing his lips and running down his chin, "I could get used to this."

He felt rather than saw the courier's smile, "you ain't seen nothing yet."

\---

 

"This the place?" Boone asked and promptly kicked himself, mentally. He could feel Courier's eyes practically burning into the back of his head, "yeah, alright, stupid question," he muttered. This was undoubtedly the place; they had arrived in Zion. Courier had regaled them all with tales of incredible vistas, clear skies and rivers so clean you could see right to the bottom. Told them about the cliffs so high it could make you dizzy to look at them and paintings daubed onto rocks that reminded you that there were people here, people with a history that they cared about. Cared enough to emblazon it on the mountains at any rate.

"You weren't kidding about this place."

Courier laughed, "flattered you thought I was!"

Once again Boone's hand went to his pocket, his finger brushing over the paper. The directions were right there, but he wasn't quite ready yet. "C'mon," he said, aloud, "should find somewhere to set up camp."

\---

 

They camped somewhere beside a river. Boone swept the area but found nothing that could pose a threat. It seemed even the animals that lived there wanted some peace and quiet, and gave them a wide berth. Boone watched the firelight glimmer on the crystal water. A fish he'd caught for dinner lay grilling over the flame. He felt like a cigarette, but there was something about despoiling the fresh, _actually fresh_ , air with tobacco that made him forego it, in favor of a bottle of water drawn from the river. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against a rock, "you really weren't kidding about this place."

"Told you you'd like it."

\---

 

Boone only half dozed, keeping one eye open, just in case a stray gecko or one of those yao guai Courier had kept banging on about showed up. Despite that, come morning, Boone found himself more rested than a full night in the Lucky 38.

"Mountain air suits you," he heard Courier say as he rolled up his bedroll, "said it would. Now let's get up that cliff. You'll thank me later."

Boone's eyes took in the sheer of size of the cliff- well, _mountain_ would be a more appropriate description, that Courier had chosen for them and groaned. "There's a path," Courier said, defensively, "besides, you can't beat the view."

"Think I'd be happier taking your word for that," Boone grunted, but obediently started up the path nonetheless.

\---

 

They were almost half way up the cliff when a drop of water landed on Boone, the unexpectedness of it made him jump and almost lose his balance on the uneven surface. His hand was already moving towards his rifle before he came to his senses.

"Is this...rain?" he asked. It had been so long.

"Isn't it amazing?" Courier murmured, reverently.

Boone stopped climbing and looked out across the valley, watching the water fall lightly from the sky, blessing the land beneath it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen rain. Or, for that matter, anything other than a scorching sun, not since he came to Nevada for sure. He closed his eyes and listened, intent on the sound of water tapping against rocks and splashing on the rivers. He even whipped his beret off, letting the droplets run over his bare head and cleanse him.

He could imagine Courier doing something similar. Without opening his eyes he knew that his friend's face would be turned upwards, beaming a smile to the clouds, arms open as though to embrace the shower.

\---

 

It took the best part of a day to reach the cliff top. Even with a light load it was hard going. Boone hesitated when saw the path even out before him, felt Courier paused beside him.

"This it?"

Courier nodded, "this is the place. You ready?"

Boone shook his head, "no," but he stepped forward anyway.

\---

 

They emerged on possibly the tallest mountain in Zion, giving him a perfect view of the entire valley. It took Boone's breath away. He understood why Courier wanted to come back here and had talked about it frequently, always talking about the beauty of the place. Nothing in the Mojave, hell, nothing Boone had ever seen anywhere could compare with this. He dropped his pack and sat against it, for a long time, just looking.

It was still light, but the sun was setting, bathing the land in hues of orange and red. Boone had never heard such silence, Courier was uncharacteristically silent, no witty remark waiting to disturb the peace.

Carefully Boone pulled out of his pack the instamash box. He cringed as he did so, but it had been the only they had to hand that was fit for purpose. He stared at it for a short while, unsure what to do next, before he took out the paper from his breast pocket and smoothed out the creases.

 

_Boone,_

_Got the idea to leave letters to my loved ones from you. Left one for everyone and this one's yours. Sorry about that._

_As cliche as it might be, if you're reading this, I've gone and bought it. I like to think I was knee deep in legionarys, saving a slave child, but hell, knowing my luck I probably tripped a trip wire in one of those caves you're always moaning about._

 

Boone chuckled, didn't know the half of it...

 

_Anyway, wanted to tell you that I'm glad I met you. Not just coz without you I probably would have kicked the bucket ten minutes after leaving Novac. I'm glad I got to go to Bitter Springs and help you find what you were looking for. Hope me dying hasn't gone and messed you up too bad, though to be honest you'll probably be glad of the peace, always did say I talked too much._

_Always talked about taking you to Zion, always said you might find peace there. I sure did. Sorry that never came to pass, and if it does I guess I'll scrap this letter and find something else to ramble on about. Anyway I'd like you to take me there. Bring the guys if you want, but that's where I want to be. There's this mountain - yeah I know you hate climbing, but there's a path. Besides you can't beat the view, you'll thank me later. I've drawn some maps on the back of this, I figure Veronica will have nabbed my pipboy, hell maybe I'll write it into her letter. Veronica - you can have the pipboy. (Boone, kindly tell Veronica she can have my pipboy)._

_Anyway! After you've done that, go find the Sorrows. Made some friends there, think you will too. If I hadn't had you guys I probably would have stayed with them. I think this could be what you need. Might bring you sense of purpose, or peace or something._

_You're a good friend and a good man Craig Boone, a better man than you'll ever give yourself credit for. Travelling with you...it's been great. Better let me go now._

_It's time._

 

Boone folded up the letter and picked up the box, stepping towards the edge. Courier was beside him, smiling. _Always smiling_. He opened the box and tipped it, watching the ashes plummet, then catch on a breeze, being carried away across the valley. The final resting place of Courier Six.

For a while Boone stared until every hint of that which had once been his friend was gone. Then he turned, slipped his pack on and after a moment of consideration, put the empty box back into it, before beginning the long descent. Courier watched him go. When Boone looked back he could just make them out, sitting on the edge of the mountain, looking over the valley, smiling.

 


End file.
